What Shall I Do? Opinions Please!

[berni29]

Hello to all

I crashed my everyday +2 quite heavily and the insurance company wrote it off. By chance I had come across another +2 a bit before then and bought that. It is a 1967 car with only 26000 or so miles on it but has been left outside under tarpaulin for many years. It is pretty derelict, although the previous owner had the suspension shot blasted and reassembled. It has an unusual handbrake conversion whereby the handbrake is a "normal" lever on the floor. I managed to trace and speak to all the previous owners. It hardly got driven because it had several annoying problems like a burnt valve and non working windows. Under the car things look very straight indeed and the car is very original. I havent had the engine running yet although the previous owner says that it goes fine. (right!)

It looks like the chassis is very good although it is the original chassis. What are the chances of the chassis being OK? The turrets look great.

I am desperate to get the car back on the road. My wife is desperate to get the remains of the first car and the derelict car out of the garden. I cannot decide if I need to take the body off or not in order to check the chassis and renew the body mountings and have a general look around. I am also worried about the brake lines. In fact I do not like the braking setup on plus 2s having had grief with my previous one. I wonder if I could fit a modern racing pedal box of the type that they have in the Demon tweeks catalog?

The paint is coming off everywhere. It is the original paint though. I intend to strip it with a water based stripper and then paint it with the help of my cousin who has a shotblasting and painting business. I have read the threads on painting and stripping.

I have started to take pictures of the car and will post them up soon to start (another) online journal of the up and coming saga!

Many thanks for any opinion offered.

Berni

[rickf]

I have a '72 +2 and one of the previous owners removed the brake boosters and installed a custom stainless steel pedal box and braided stainless brake lines. I love it that way and I wouldn't think of putting that mess back in. The pedal is always hard as a rock and feels like it has no travel whatsoever. I haven't noticed the effort to be unusually high. Feels just fine to me. I can take pictures of how he did it when I get it back from the paint shop.

[berni29]

Hi Rick

That sounds like just the thing. I would love like to see a picture of that. I really dislike the standard pedal box. Is the master cylnder dual circuit? I guess that you do not have a booster. What colour did you go for? I am going to do mine in the Bahama yellow. I was thinking about a gloss black roof though. Might look good with the black wheels.

Bet you can't wait to get it back!

By the way, whereabouts are you? I'm in the UK, Kent.

All the best

Berni

[asc]

What ever you decide to do, the old time advice was always make 100% sure the chassis is ok before you start, cos everything bolts to it, and if its wrong the car will never be right. As well as visual inspections an accurate wheel alignment check all 4 wheels may be worth while. tony

[berni29]

Hi Tony

I get the feeling that you are right. At least then I can spray waxoyl everywhere and inspect the brake lines.

Berni

[rickf]

My +2 was owned at one time by a fellow that fabricated stainless steel for a living. He made a new pedal box, fuse/relay box and exhaust out of heavy guage stainless. The exhaust is a work of art. He even signed it with some sort of engraving tool. Too bad he didn't make a stainless chassis while he was at it. That would have been something!

The master cylinder is a dual circuit. No booster.

My girlfriend and I live in a place called O'Fallon, MO, in the US. It's near St. Louis, if that's any help. I'm a Yank, Midwesterner no less, and she's from Clacton on Sea. We try to get to the UK at least once a year to visit family. I've learned (learnt?) some English, since we speak it at home, but she's gradually using more American. Seems sad somehow.

[berni29]

Hi Rick

That is a great story. I married a girl from Southend on Sea, which is a bit Clactonish. My Dad lives in Nashville Tenn, and I was there just before Christmas. I do love the US of A.

I know a very good metalworker as it happens. He fabricated a complete wishbone suspension for the back of a custom MGB that he built. He also put a K series rover engine in it. It is a replica of a Sebring racing MGB or something. Maybe I can get him to look at my pedal box! He looks down his nose at Lotuses a bit.

All the best

Berni

[rickf]

I'm going to pick up some more parts that need polishing in a day or two. I'll take some pictures of the pedal box and email them to you then.

[DrEntropy]

'allo lads! Just joined this forum, but been a +2 owner fer close to 30 yearn... and married to a bird from Oldham (She Who Must Be Obeyed!). --she helped me cob th' engine in me '69 +2 on a February day in an unheated (dirt floor) west-Pennsylvania garage back in 1978... with a Mk I Lotus Cortina and an S-3 Elan beside itI.... a bonny lass indeed. So I married 'er. Canna let good help get away.

One o' th' first things I did was rid meself o' th' brake booster. Pedal hard as a rock. P'raps there'd be advantage to fitting a larger diameter master cylinder, but I don't mind the bit of extra pedal effort... it'll still "lock 'em up" with a too-hard pedal stab.

Hope I can be of help in future here.